The designation of the main cities of the Arctic with an increase in the "Single Subsidy", federal investments in education on special conditions for Arctic universities, expansion of the renovation program of the Arctic – such proposals were announced by Governor Andrey Chibis during the session "New Opportunities for Arctic Cities", held today as part of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
The session was organized by the Ministry of Development of the Far East and the Arctic and took place in the exhibition space "Arctic – the Territory of dialogue", its participants were representatives of federal and regional authorities, development institutions, large companies.
"The dynamics of urban development in the Arctic zone should correspond to the capital, then people will strive to live in the North. It is important to implement a mechanism for creating master development plans, identify the main cities of the Arctic and multiply federal support, for example, a "Single subsidy". All these initiatives were introduced and supported by the working group of the State Council for the development of the Arctic and after consideration will be sent to the federal Government. We will seek to make these decisions. Increasing federal support for the development of our cities is an investment in the future of the Arctic, the creation of a decent social infrastructure," Andrei Chibis stressed.
The Governor noted that the Murmansk Region is fully included in the Arctic zone, thanks to the support of President Vladimir Putin and the decisions he made, the support of the federal government, the Ministry of Regional Development and personally its head Alexey Chekunkov, the regional team has achieved serious economic growth over the past 4 years.
"We have created zones where businesses can receive significant tax benefits and various preferences – the AZ of the Russian Federation and the TOP "Capital of the Arctic". This gave impetus to the rapid growth of the number of large investment projects being implemented. We are actively developing the transport and logistics hub as part of the most important Northern Sea Route for the country - by the end of the year, working traffic on the new railway line will already open. It is here that the amazing and large–scale projects of Novatek are being implemented - floating gas liquefaction plants. A gasification project will be implemented. The economy is the basis for the development of the region. But today the main challenge is personnel, people who are ready to live and work constantly in harsh conditions, who have the competencies to implement large–scale development plans. We will not solve this problem with a shift, we need to create conditions for life and education. To make people want to live in the North. And our main battle is for the young. Young people are already deciding whether they will stay in the Arctic, so we must invest in improving cities and settlements. It is also important that people understand their perspective here, that they will be able to study and work on important projects for the country," Andrei Chibis stressed.
The head of the region recalled that the Murmansk region is implementing a development plan – "To live in the North", created in accordance with the wishes of the northerners.
"We create this trend ourselves – how cool it is to live in the North. As part of our plan, we are developing tourism, not only for guests, but also for the Northerners themselves, so that they can see in what a unique place they live, we are activating loyalty programs. We are creating new public spaces, we have opened 25 youth spaces in settlements – with modern equipment, infrastructure for the implementation of initiatives, where our children can engage in art, project work, creativity, sports, volunteering. We are implementing the program "Your home in the Arctic" – and we already see the interest of people and the activation of individual housing construction: 450 certificates were issued and 67 houses were built during the year. In addition, we have started implementing an early career guidance system so that our children already know from school what to do with themselves, in which direction they can develop in their native region," commented Andrey Chibis. According to him, as part of this work, specialized classes are being opened in schools together with large companies, excursions to enterprises, lectures for children are being held. 48 workshops with modern equipment of various directions have already been opened in the colleges of the region together with industrial partners, work is underway to organize the practice and employment of local graduates at enterprises.
The head of the region also noted that it is important to support Arctic universities. Earlier, Andrei Chibis took the initiative to form separate tracks for universities in the Arctic zone regarding the possibility of their participation in the Priority 2030 program, at the last meeting of the working group of the State Council for the development of the Arctic, the head of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia Valery Falkov announced the adjustment of the program.
Andrey Chibis called another key task in the Murmansk region a large–scale renovation program of military settlements where military personnel live, who ensure the country's defense capability.
During the session, Andrey Grachev, Vice President for Federal and Regional Programs of PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel, noted that large companies in close contact with the authorities also implement programs for the development of the territories of their presence, and stressed the importance of the topic of education.
"The beautiful motto "To live in the North" has long ceased to be a slogan only of the Murmansk region. This phrase is much broader, it characterizes all the northern territories. Here is both the content part and the tasks that the governor sets for the subject. We are creating development institutions, such as the Monchegorsk Development Agency, the Second School Center. This is a public-private partnership: there are regional and municipal authorities, the Vladimir Potanin Foundation, and business. Innovation centers develop a wide range of projects: Arctic tourism, gastronomic projects, public spaces. Business and the state should be in synergy for development. And the second important topic is education. Thanks to Andrey Chibis as the governor-innovator, as well as the head of the working group of the State Council for the development of the Arctic, which actively raises the question that Arctic universities are not on an equal footing with the capital, and the question of the possibility of participating in the Priority 2030 program," said Andrey Grachev. He also supported the initiative to create an association of Arctic universities.
/ Ministry of Information Policy of the Murmansk Region /